


Here Comes Trouble

by timewarp



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-10 23:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8944339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timewarp/pseuds/timewarp
Summary: Role Reversal AU: In which Kara is a CEO of a major company and Lena is her assistant





	1. Chapter One

Lena drums the folder containing her resume, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip. She uncrosses and recrosses her legs, hoping that the other women waiting to be interviewed don’t detect her nervousness. It had been a gamble coming here in the first place. 

 

Lexa had been scrolling the news on her computer when she saw that the CEO of CatCo, Kara Danvers, was looking for a new assistant. Kara Danvers was an icon in National City; everyone knew her name and face. She’d studied under the legendary Cat Grant and had taken over the company when Cat Grant decided to move onto other ventures. CatCo had already been huge when Cat left but Kara made the company rise even higher. It had won numerous awards and accolades for its quality, hard cutting yet optimistic brand of journalism. Better yet, it had the coveted exclusive relationship with Supergirl, something that none of the other media outlets had access to. 

 

On a whim, Lena decided to submit her resume and to her surprise, had gotten an in-person interview with Kara. It would probably amount to nothing. As soon as Kara would realize who Lena really was, she would probably make polite talk and afterwards Lena would be informed that the position was taken. All because of her cursed last name-  _ Luthor _ . Just for once, Lena wanted people to not compare her to her brother. Just once.

 

“Lena?”

 

Lena tilts her head up. 

 

“Ms. Danvers is ready to see you now.”

 

Lena nods at the receptionist and mentally braces herself. She walks into Kara Danvers’ office, head held high with zero trace of her previous nerves. Kara beams at her when she walks in.

 

“Ms. Danvers,” Lena says, shaking Kara’s hand.

 

“Please, call me Kara. Nice to meet you.”

 

Lena returns her smile and hands Kara her resume. Kara takes her resume but doesn’t look at it. Lena sits down, suddenly feeling self-conscious while Kara takes in her appearance.   

 

“I have to say Lena, I was surprised when I looked at the list of applicants to be my new assistant and I saw your resume in there,” Kara says. She pauses, contemplative. “I guess my question is why?”

 

Lena nods. She had expected this question. “You were curious as to why a billionaire  _ and _ Lex Luthor’s sister wanted to become your assistant.” 

 

Kara nods in affirmation. 

 

“I know you know what my brother has done. The horrible acts of destruction he did. The things he did are unforgivable and I’m glad he’s in prison.” Lena pauses, trying to gauge Kara’s reaction but she says nothing, motioning for Lena to continue. “I want to prove that I’m not like Lex. I want to make a name for myself outside of my family. I want to prove that not all Luthors are evil. I want to prove that I am capable of making a difference for good. I want to help people and I believe working for this company will be the best way of accomplishing that.” 

 

Lena exhales, hoping she'd said the right thing. Hoping that Kara would believe her.

 

There’s a few moments of silence while Kara visibly looks like she’s digesting what Lena has told her. 

 

“I completely understand,” Kara says after a beat. Lena’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I understand what it’s like to be defined what your family has done and what it’s like to break out of that.” 

 

Lena is perplexed. In preparation for the interview, she’d attempted to find out everything there was to know about Kara. Surprisingly, Kara’s public background information was scarce. It was as if her life didn’t begin until she had gotten started at CatCo. 

 

Kara breaks out in a smile. “Would you tell the other women waiting that they can leave?” 

 

Lena knits her eyebrows in utter confusion. “Pardon?”

 

Kara laughs when she sees Lena’s face. “You’re hired by the way.” 

 

“Just like that?”

 

“Yep.”  

 

“But what about my qualifications or -” Lena trails off when she sees Kara shaking her head. 

 

“I don’t need to see your qualifications to know that you’re perfect for this job. I believe you when you say that you want to make a difference.” 

 

Lena stands up, knees slightly wobbly. “Thank you, Ms. Danvers. I promise you I won’t let you down.”

 

Kara groans good-naturedly. “It’s Kara. Ms. Danvers makes me feel like I’m my foster mother.” 

 

“Your foster mother?” The words slip out of Lena’s mouth before she can stop them. 

 

“Yep, my parents passed away when I was thirteen.”

 

“I’m sorry. I was adopted when I was four.” Lena feels like she’s overstepped a million boundaries but Kara is surprisingly easy to talk to. 

 

Kara gives her a sad smile. “I guess we both know what it feels like.” She picks up the papers off her desk and organizes them. “Okay! I want to see you here tomorrow at nine. Don’t be late!” 

 

Lena nods and walks out of the office. She doesn’t bother covering up her wide grin at the thrill of being hired. 

 

\---

 

Lena gets to CatCo the next morning at 8:45am sharp, hot drink in hand. She times it so that she gets to the office seconds before Kara does. Kara gets out of the elevator and Lena is at her side instantaneously. 

 

“Good morning, Kara.” Lena says, handing Kara her drink. 

 

Kara’s eyes widen. “M-morning Lena. Wow thanks!” She says as she accepts the drink. She takes a sip. “Raspberry hot chocolate?” 

 

Lena nods in confirmation.

 

“Wow, that’s my favorite drink. How did you know?” 

 

“I have my sources.” 

 

Kara shakes her head in disbelief. “Jeez, you’re already better than my last assistant. He was convinced that I loved black coffee that tasted like it was brewed with sewage water.” Kara wrinkles her nose in disgust at the memory. 

 

Lena laughs. “Is that why you fired him?” 

 

“Nah, I- I mean I could’ve lived with the sucky coffee but he was always late or texting his girlfriend or whatever.” Kara walks into her office with Lena not far behind. Kara drops her bags on her desk and relaxes into her chair. “He was a pretty bad assistant but I hate firing people so I had Winn fire him for me.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

Kara pouts. “It’s seriously a problem for me. One time I had to fire this guy because he was always late or just not coming in at all. I started talking to him and he started telling me about his children and I couldn’t just let their father be unemployed so I ended up giving him a raise.” Kara toys with her glasses. “Turns out he was lying for sympathy so I actually had to fire him. But I still felt really bad about it.”

 

Lena just shakes her head. Kara really was something else.  

 

\--

 

Lena’s first day was a blur. She’d underestimated just how busy of a person Kara was. Kara was usually in meeting after meeting. If she wasn’t in a meeting, she was usually on her way from or to one. Lena took copious notes during the meetings and she made sure Kara had her regular fix of hot chocolate. Before Lena knew it, it was 7pm and dark outside. Everyone in the office had left except for her and Kara.

 

Kara is busy typing something on her computer. She pauses and looks up at Lena. She smiles but the lines under her eyes betray her exhaustion.

 

“You can go home Lena. Great job today!” 

 

Lena hesitates. “Are you sure? I can stay a little bit longer.”

 

Kara waves her off. “I have a million more emails to send but thanks. See you tomorrow!” 

 

Lena complies, feeling slightly guilty as she leaves. She doesn’t know why.

 

\--

 

The next day, Lena gets to the office at the same time as she did yesterday. She expects Kara to come in later than usual but to her surprise, Kara arrives only a few moments after Lena does. 

 

“Morning Lena!” Kara says, chipper as ever.

 

“Good morning Kara,” Lena says. “How are you always so cheerful?”

 

“I’m an alien,” Kara deadpans. Lena laughs at the joke. 

 

She misses Kara’s sly smile. 

 

\--

 

“Alright, so what’s everyone working on?” Kara asks the team, clasping her hands together. 

 

Every morning, Kara rounds up the leads of each team to pitch ideas for content. Lena sits on the sofa by Kara’s desk, pen poised to take notes. 

 

“The teacher’s union is thinking about going on strike. They want a bigger budget for the schools,” a woman standing in the back pipes up. Lena recalls that her name is Ellen. 

 

“No one cares about that,” Jack says derisively. Lena prevents herself from rolling her eyes. She’d only met Jack briefly but knew that he was worth avoiding. He looks around the room and lowers his voice. “I have an exclusive that Winona Jett has been seen around town cheating on her husband. I have pictures as proof.” 

 

The people around the room murmur amongst themselves. Winona Jett is a huge movie star who is known for her philanthropy. The scandal would attract many readers.

 

Kara raises an eyebrow at his interruption but doesn’t say anything. She looks at Lena.

 

“Well Lena, what do you think?” Kara asks. 

 

Lena drops her mouth and she’s well aware half the room has done the same. 

 

“Think about what?” Lena replies. 

 

“Which story should we print? The teacher’s union or Winona Jett’s infidelity?” 

 

Lena bites her lip. Kara looks at her, expectant, and Lena is determined not to mess this opportunity up.  “Well, the story about Winona Jett is juicier definitely but I think reporting about the strike is more important than some woman’s marriage troubles.”

 

The grin that Lena gets knows that she’s made the right decision. Kara faces Jack and nods. 

 

“We’re going with the teacher’s strike story. The Jet story, while juicy, is better suited for a tabloid magazine, not CatCo.” 

 

Jack looks like as if he’s been punched but wisely says nothing, cowed. 

 

Lena’s face is impassive but on the inside she feels elated. She relishes that Kara seeks her input and listens to what she has to say. At CatCo, she isn’t defined by her last name or her background. She’s just Lena. And she can actually make a difference. 

 

\--

 

Everyone in National City knew who Supergirl was. She was the city’s enigmatic hero, always ready and willing to help those in need. She cast a large shadow over the city but unless there was a crisis of some sort, she was largely forgotten in the everyday public consciousness. 

 

Lena Luthor is walking home from the store, grocery bags dangling off her arms when the ground shakes underneath her. A hulking monster appears before her own eyes, roaring and shrieking while crushing cars and pedestrians alike with its feet. 

 

In that moment, Lena’s feet remain frozen to the ground. All of her previous knowledge of self-defense and self-preservation have disappeared from the depths of her brain. She looks on as the monster clambers closer to where she stands. 

 

Lena suddenly finds herself flying. In her terror, she closes her eyes and prepares for a sickening crash only to realize that she appears to be carried? She opens her eyes and she sees that it’s none other than Supergirl who has saved her. 

 

Supergirl gives her a reassuring smile that for some inexplicable reason calms down Lena. There’s just something about this whole situation that seems  _ familiar _ to Lena but she can’t quite place why. It’s rather baffling. 

 

Supergirl places her gently on the street a few blocks away from where the monster is busy terrorizing the town. After she makes sure that Lena is okay, she flies off. 

 

Lena doesn’t move for several moments, taking in what just happened. When she gets home, she puts away her groceries and looks up everything there is to know about Supergirl. 

 

\--

 

At work the next day, James Olsen produces a picture of Supergirl rescuing Lena. Lena flushes but asks for a copy afterwards.

 

\--

 

Kara pulls her to the side and asks if she’s okay.

 

Lena nods, reassuring Kara that she’s fine. Kara doesn’t look quite convinced but drops the subject.

 

No one has ever asked Lena that before.

 

Kara sends Lena home early that day. 

 

\--

 

“Kara, I have some forms for you to fill out,” Lena says to an empty office. She blinks. Well, that was odd. Kara had been there only a few moments ago.

 

She sees James Olsen walking by out of the corner of her eye.

 

“James! Have you by any chance seen where Kara went?”

 

James rubs the back of his neck. “Ah yeah, she had a private matter to deal with but she’ll be back soon.” 

 

He gives Lena a charming smile but she’s not quite convinced. She lets the matter drop and she sees James’ shoulders relax.

 

The next time Lena looks at Kara’s office, Kara herself has materialized at her desk.

 

\--  

 

Working for Kara Danvers is completely unlike what Lena had imagined it to be. Kara is quite possibly the nicest person ever but she isn’t a pushover. She is friendly but firm. She has an insatiable appetite but never seems to gain a single pound. She would inexplicably disappear in a flash but would reappear minutes later as if nothing had happened. Despite her bubbly exterior, Kara is an enigma that Lena couldn’t quite figure out. She was determined to try, however. 

  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

Kara cannot be human, Lena realizes.

 

Kara’s just finished her second round of potstickers and has now requested a third. A third round of potstickers? It was simply baffling as to how much food Kara could consume. 

 

To her credit, Kara did offer some to Lena, shrugging when Lena declined.  Lena watches Kara devour her potstickers with equal parts of curiosity and revulsion.

 

“‘Ena cwathetaeth?” Kara says, mouth bulging with potstickers.

 

Lena raises her eyebrows. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite get that.”

 

Kara nods and gulps. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry,” she smiles. “Can you call up James here for me please?” 

 

“Of course.” 

 

Lena leaves Kara’s office to go fetch James. She’d been observing their behavior for the past few weeks. She’d initially suspected that they were together romantically but after seeing their interactions, they seemed platonic. Still, they were too close for their relationship to be called professional. It was interesting and she couldn’t quite figure them out. 

 

Lena softly knocks on James’ door and opens it. 

 

“James? Kara wants to see you.” 

 

James’ eyes are glued to his computer and he gives a nod, eyes not leaving the screen.

 

“Thanks Lena, I’ll be there in a sec.” 

 

Lena waits politely for James to finish up. After a few moments of him staring at the screen, he sighs and closes it. 

 

“Thanks for waiting,” James says. He and Lena start walking towards Kara’s office. 

 

“It’s no problem. What are you working on?” 

 

James rubs his neck. “Ah, it’s another Supergirl story but I’m trying to put a new spin on it.” Interesting. Lena had noticed that James would rub his neck whenever the subject of Kara or Supergirl would come up. It was comforting that he wasn’t a very good liar. Lena had gotten very good at spotting liars. It was the price she paid for having Lex as a brother. “So, how do you like working for Kara?” James asks, changing subjects. Nor was James subtle. 

 

Lena smiles. “It’s honestly great. She’s always asking for my input and seems to care about what I have to say. She’s really nice.” 

 

James grins and nods. “Yeah, Kara is the best. You couldn’t ask for a better boss than her.” 

 

Lena looks at him carefully. “Yeah, she’s great.” She pauses. “You and Kara seem to be close.” 

 

James notices her glance and laughs. He holds his hands up in protest. “It’s not like that. I mean, we did try but it didn’t work out. We’re just friends, that’s all.” 

 

Lena is glad that they’ve reached Kara’s office otherwise she doesn’t know if she would’ve been able to contain the questions that were swirling around in her head.  _ Kara and James had been a thing?  _ But they weren’t together anymore. She wonders what happened between them. Was it a mutual break up? How long had they been together?  Lena watches James walk inside Kara’s office. But it certainly wasn’t any of her business. She mentally shakes her head and sits down at her desk, desperately trying not to think about her boss’ romantic life. 

 

\--

 

It’s the end of the day and Lena is gearing up to going home. She’s looking forward to ordering take-out and curling up to Netflix. Her existence is rather sad, she realizes. 

 

Lena walks to Kara’s desk where Kara is busy typing on her computer. 

 

“Hey Kara? I’m heading out,” Lena says. Kara looks up from her computer.

 

“Cool. Oh!” Kara’s eyes widen and her glasses go askew which Lena finds endearing. “Actually! Ummm... do you have plans for Saturday night?” 

 

Lena shakes her head. 

 

Kara looks relieved. “Awesome. Well, not awesome I guess. Or well, it’s awesome for me. Would you be free to join me for a gala? I don’t want to go alone. I would ask James or Winn but they have dates. Well, not with each other. With separate people. Not together. Separate.” 

 

Lena laughs softly. She loves it when Kara allows herself to get flustered. 

 

“Sure, I’d love to,” Lena replies. She hopes that her face doesn’t betray the fact that her heart is pounding. 

 

“Awesome, I’ll message you with the info later! Thanks Lena!” Kara beams. 

 

Lena leaves the office with a huge smile on her face until it hits her.  _ Did she just agree to go on a date with Kara?  _

 

\--

 

Saturday night comes much faster than Lena had anticipated. She stands in front of a mirror in a nervous frenzy. The gala was formal wear as per Kara’s instructions with no flashy colors. Lena had settled for a simple black dress with her hair tied back in a neat bun. She hopes that Kara will find it okay, she’d changed her outfit three times already. 

 

Her phone vibrates and she sees that Kara is outside. Lena gives herself a once-over in the mirror and sighs. She grabs her jacket and her purse on her way out. 

 

Lena climbs into the back of the car where Kara is seated. Kara’s eyebrows raise when she sees Lena.

 

“W-wow, you look great!”   

 

“Thanks, so do you by the way.” Lena says, biting her lip. It was true, Kara looks stunning in her dress. Usually at the office, Kara wears simple sweaters or collared shirts. Lena’s eyes rake over Kara’s body right down to the  _ oh- _ very exposed legs and she’s forced to look away, blushing. 

 

The driver clears her throat which causes Kara to look guilty.

 

“Oh, Lena, this is my sister, Alex. Alex, this is Lena.”

 

“Hello, Alex.” Lena says, confused. She turns to Kara. “Does your sister usually drive you places?”

 

“ _ I should say not, _ ” Alex says, her tone pointed. Kara rolls her eyes and smiles. 

 

“My sister works for the government and sometimes she’s a little overprotective,” Kara explains. Lena frowns but is careful to hide it from Kara. That still didn’t explain why Alex was driving them. 

 

Alex drops them off by the gala’s entrance. “I’ll be close by if you guys need anything. Don’t get into any trouble,” she says. 

“Yes mom,” Kara deadpans as she exits the car. 

 

“Ha ha,” Alex replies, sarcastic. 

 

Lena laughs at their interaction. She and Lex never had that sort of relationship. That fact sobers her up when she thinks of him rotting away in prison. Good. 

 

“You ready?” Kara asks, breaking Lena out of her thoughts.

 

Lena smiles and nods. She and Kara go inside the gala. 

 

The room is  _ enormous _ and swarming with guests dressed to the nines. Lena’s been to a million galas before which is the price she pays for being adopted by billionaires. She’s pretty sure she could do galas in her sleep at this point. However, she notices that Kara is visibly overwhelmed.  

 

“You alright?” She mutters. Kara nods. 

 

“Yeah,” Kara whispers. “There’s just  _ so many people _ .”

 

“Do you wanna go outside or something?” Lena asks, concerned. 

 

Kara suddenly gasps and dashes off. Lena follows her, completely bewildered. She loses sight of Kara for a few moments until she sees her blonde hair- a nice contrast against the sea of black outfits. When Lena rejoins Kara, she sees that Kara is happily munching on the hors d'oeuvres. Lena is hardly unsurprised, thinking back on the amount of potstickers that Kara has consumed during her short time at the company. 

 

“Lena,” Kara says, mouth full of food. She points at her plate. “These are  _ so  _ good. You should have some.” 

 

Lena laughs and complies, taking a piece from a nearby waiter’s plate. She chews and swallows it. “You’re right, these are really good.”

 

“Right?!”

 

Lena spots someone behind Kara. She gets closer to Kara and mutters, “Dax White is behind you. Remember you wanted to get a source off of him.” 

 

Kara groans quietly. “Ugh, he’s insufferable.” She swallows the remaining food in her mouth and turns around, beaming widely. “Hi Dax!” Her voice unnaturally high and fake.

 

Lena chuckles to herself. She wasn’t a fan of Dax either. He had the nasty tendency of looking at everywhere but the face when talking to an attractive woman. She didn’t envy Kara.

 

Lena goes over to the bar and gets herself a glass of wine. She does her best to mingle, saying hi to the associates of her parents. After a while, she decides she should look for Kara and wanders around until she spots the familiar blonde hair. She sees that Kara is still talking to Dax. Lena figures it’s time to rescue her.

 

“Kara!” Lena says, interrupting Dax in mid-sentence. She puts her hand on the small of Kara’s back. “I’m so sorry,” she says to Dax. “I need Ms. Danvers for something urgent.” 

 

“Sorry Dax, it’s important,” Kara says. Dax looks disgruntled but acquiesces. 

 

Lena navigates Kara to the other side of the gala where Dax is safely out of sight. Lena realizes that she’s still touching Kara’s back and drops her hand immediately. 

 

“Oh my god, thank you. You’re literally my savior,” Kara says while groaning. She rubs the temples on her head in exasperation. 

 

Lena looks down and smiles. “I’m guessing he’s as awful as ever?”

 

Kara rolls her eyes and pouts. “ _ Yes _ . He kept going on and on about one of his business ventures and I couldn’t do anything except smile and nod like I actually care.” She crosses her arms. “Which I don’t.”

 

“Trust me, I get it. My parents dragged me to a million galas and business meetings or whatever and I had to pretend like I was interested even though I was probably like twelve at the time.” 

 

“Jeez, that sounds like torture,” Kara says, sympathetic.

 

“It’s alright,” Lena shakes her head. “It made me adept to reading social cues and... rescuing people when they look like they’re in need.” Lena bites her lip. 

 

Kara smirks. “Well, allow me to return the favor.” She holds out her hand. “Would you like to dance?” 

 

Lena accepts Kara’s hand. “Of course.” 

 

Kara puts her other hand on Lena’s hip and they start to dance. Never in a million years would Lena have guessed that she would be dancing with her boss on a Saturday night at a gala. Joining CatCo may have been her best decision yet. 

 

Kara clears her throat. “Um, so are you enjoying working at CatCo?” 

 

Lena nods fervently. “Yeah, it’s been amazing so far and it’s all thanks to you, Kara.” 

 

Kara blushes and looks away. “No well, you’re very talented. Anyone’d be lucky to have you as their employee.” 

 

Lena opens her mouth to reply when there’s a sudden crash. Screams pierce the air and Kara drops Lena’s hand. Lena sees a blue creature only a few feet away from where they are that’s smashing the tables and guests. The guests are panicking and they bump into Lena in their rush to flee. Lena doesn’t see Kara anywhere in the chaos. 

 

All of a sudden, Supergirl flies in and uses her heat vision on the creature. It momentarily stuns the creature before he waves it off and roars. 

 

Lena knows it’s time to get out of there. When she doesn’t see Kara, she joins the other guests in running outside. Crashes and snarls come from behind her but she doesn’t look back to witness the destruction. 

 

On her way outside, she spots Alex bolting inside with a few others. She figures that they’re in the same government agency. Lena runs across the street and rests her hands on her knees, panting. She sees fire trucks and police cars making a mad dash for the building. Lena looks around with Kara nowhere in sight. She must still be in the building. She doesn’t know what to do. Logically, she knows that there isn’t anything to do for Kara except wait for Supergirl to defeat the creature. However, Lena hates being powerless to help. 

 

Her decision is made for her. Police men barricade the outside of the gala building and shout for the bystanders to get out of there. With one last glance to the building, Lena reluctantly goes home. She leaves a message on Kara’s phone asking Kara to call her back. 

 

Around 2am, Lena’s phone buzzes. It’s Kara. Lena immediately feels a rush of relief. 

 

Kara:

hey lena, i’m fine! i’m so sorry about not texting earlier. i’m ok though. i’m not hurt or anything. Alex and supergirl were great in defeating the monster.               

 

Lena sighs in relief. 

 

Lena:

I’m so happy that you’re safe. I was really worried about you.

Kara:

:) thanks for coming with me tonight. sorry that the monster ruined our dance

Lena:

I guess you owe me another dance then

Kara:

haha! fair enough. see you on monday! 

Lena:

Good night, Kara

Kara:

night! don’t let the bedbugs bite!

 

Lena smiles at her phone. She’s glad that Kara is safe although she still feels uneasy. It seemed as if Kara had been expecting this to happen. Why else would Alex and her agents be there otherwise? But why would Kara willingly go to a gala that she knew would be attacked? It didn’t make any sense. Unless...

 

Lena gasped as the cogs turned in place.  _ Of course _ . How could she have missed it? Lena turns on her lights and gets out her laptop.  

 

She pulls up a picture of Supergirl and compares it to a picture of Kara. That explained why Kara was always wearing glasses. That explained why CatCo had the exclusive relationship with Supergirl. That explained why James always seemed uneasy whenever Lena brought up Kara’s whereabouts. He had to have known. 

  
Lena closes her laptop. So, her boss slash crush was an alien superhero. And she was also Superman’s cousin aka her imprisoned brother’s mortal enemy. Great. What was Lena going to do?   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh a cliffhanger! Dun dun duuuun.
> 
> Also thanks everyone for the great feedback on the first chapter! Reading reviews always makes me happy so I really appreciate them. Also they make me more motivated to write~ Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter Three

Before Lena knew it, the weekend was over and Monday reared its ugly head. She was no closer to figuring out what she was supposed to do about the whole Kara/Supergirl situation. 

She got to work at her usual time and got Kara’s usual drink. She sighs to herself. She’ll just keep the secret to herself until she figures out the best course of action. 

The elevator doors open and Lena sticks out the coffee cup.

“Your drink, Kara.” She says. Kara accepts gratefully and takes a big gulp out of it. Lena quirks up an eyebrow. She knew for a fact that the cup was piping hot and yet, Kara hadn’t batted an eye. 

“Thanks Lena,” she says while walking towards her office. She sits down in her chair and once the doors close behind them, she leans forward on the desk. “Once again, I am so sorry about how Saturday went. Are you feeling okay? Do you want the day off?”

Lena shakes her head and gives a fake smile. “No, I’m fine but thanks for asking.” 

Kara quirks up an eyebrow and stares at Lena for a few moments, not quite believing her. “You sure?”

Lena nods emphatically. “Of course.” She pauses. “It’s a good thing Supergirl was there, wasn’t it?” She waits for Kara’s reaction. 

“Ah, yep.” Kara’s glasses are slightly off-center and she seems flustered. To busy herself, she picks up the papers on her desk and organizes them. “Yes, it’s a very good thing Supergirl was there. And my sister, of course.” 

Lena hums a little. 

“Well, um, I hope you had a good time otherwise,” Kara says. Lena tries not to blush when she’s reminded of their brief dance. It had been nice being so close to Kara. It was a form of intimacy she had never really experienced before. It had been really nice. Until of course, the alien decided to wreak havoc all around them. Lena doesn’t want to think about it anymore. Especially not since she knows the truth now about Kara. 

Lena nods. “Of course. On a different note, don’t forget you have a meeting in...” She checks her watch. “Fifteen minutes.” 

Kara looks taken aback at the sudden topic change. “Right, of course. Thanks.” 

Lena tilts her head up in affirmation and exits Kara’s office, exhaling once she’s out of her line of sight. That had been an uncomfortable experience. She doesn’t know how long she can keep this up.

\--

The rest of the day is business as usual. Lena sits in during Kara’s meetings and takes meticulous notes. She’s attentive of Kara’s needs and orders Kara’s usual order of potstickers come lunch time. In all, she’s a perfect employee. 

It’s the end of the day and as usual, Kara and Lena are the only ones left in the office. Lena is busy transcribing meeting notes on her laptop when she hears a pair of footsteps. She continues typing until she hears a soft voice. 

“Hey Lena, I’m heading out.” Kara says, looking at her expectantly. 

Lena nods. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. I have to finish transcribing the meeting notes first.” 

Kara tilts her head to the side. “You know, that can wait until tomorrow. It’s nothing urgent.”

Lena smiles. “That’s alright, I’m already on a roll, you know?” She gives a short laugh. 

Kara looks skeptical but doesn’t press further. “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t work too hard you hear?”

“Of course, Kara. Have a good night!”

Kara gives a wave. “You too.” 

Once she’s gone, Lena exhales. She purposefully took a long time transcribing as she didn’t want to be stuck alone with Kara in the elevator. Lena finishes transcribing a few minutes later and when she leaves the building, it’s the first time all day that she’s been able to properly breathe. 

When Lena gets home, she kicks off her shoes and heats up her leftovers. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she opens up her computer. She’s made a pro/cons list on her computer about the Supergirl situation. The pros side is full of items such as Supergirl being the hero of National City, the fact that she’s saved countless lives, etc. The pros column easily outnumbers the cons column. However, the first thing written under the cons list is her brother. 

Her fucking brother. 

Growing up, Lex had been a wonderful brother to her. He was the only one that made her feel like she truly belonged in the family. Her parents made it clear that she would never be a real Luthor, that she would always be an outside. Lex had been kind and gracious. They would play board games together or hide-and-seek. But then, he turned out to be a monster. A murderous rampaging monster. He was Superman’s sworn enemy and Lena thinks he wouldn’t think of Supergirl any more favorably than Superman. She slumps back in her seat and tilts back her head. She swirls the wine in her glass and sighs. 

She loves working at CatCo. Kara has been nothing but gracious and kind towards Lena. At CatCo, Lena isn’t defined by her background or lineage. She’s just Lena. However, Lena doesn’t know if she can continue working there. What a mess. 

Lena sits back up and rubs her neck. She doesn’t want to make any hasty decisions. She’ll continue working at CatCo as if nothing is wrong. When the time comes, she’ll make her decision. 

\--

Lena usually eats lunch in the office but now she goes out to eat. 

Whenever Kara has a meeting, Lena finds an excuse for her to walk separately, feigning that she forgot important documents or something of the sort.

 

Lena thinks that she’s done a good job of pretending like nothing is wrong. She takes notes during Kara’s meetings, she blocks people Kara dislikes from trying to contact her, and when asked, she offers her input on different issues. However, Lena masterfully times it so she’s never alone with Kara for prolonged periods of time. Kara’s schedule makes it so that she’s too busy to be in one place for too long. 

On Friday, that all comes to a screeching halt. 

Lena’s at her desk composing some emails for Kara when she hears Kara call her name. She promptly makes her way over to Kara’s desk, tablet in her hand. 

“Hey Lena, what’s my schedule like for this afternoon?” Kara asks, leaning back in her chair.

Lena checks Kara’s calendar. “You have the weekly review meeting at 4 but it’s bound to be the usual stuff. You have a few phone calls after that.” 

Kara nods. “I want you to clear my schedule for the rest of the afternoon. I can do all of that on Monday.”

Lena raises her eyebrows. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Nope, I want to have a meeting with you.”

Holy shit. Was she about to get fired? Her fears must reflect itself on her face because Kara gives her a kind smile. “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. Cancel the stuff first and then come back when you’re done and we’ll talk.”

Lena nods and turns around. She sits at her desk and her fingers shake so much that she has trouble typing in the phone numbers for people she has to call. 

 

\--

“So, Lena, how are you?” Kara gives her a big smile. 

Lena raises an eyebrow, not quite knowing what this is about. “I’m doing well, how are you?”

“Good, thanks for asking.”

“That’s... good.” 

Kara drums her fingers on her desk. “So listen, the reason I called this meeting with you is because I’ve noticed you’ve been acting really weird this whole week.” 

“Weird how? Has my work been less than satisfactory?”

Kara’s eyes widen. “No! That’s not it. You’ve always been a great employee. You’re conscientious and your notes are always thorough. You know how to deal with people on the phone and your input is always well-reasoned and insightful.”

Lena was beyond flattered. She had no idea Kara thought so highly of Lena. “Wow, thank you. That’s really nice to hear.” 

Kara shrugs. “It’s true. But lately you seem like you can’t handle being in the same room as me. Whenever we’re alone together, you find a way to leave as soon as possible. I’m beginning to suspect that you have a problem with me.” 

Lena’s at a total loss for words. “I- I.”

“Did I do something? Did I ever make you uncomfortable?” Kara whispers the last sentence. “Did I-” She shakes her head and Lena’s heart breaks. Kara looks so damn sad. “Was it the dance we shared? Did I overstep my personal boundaries? If so, I deeply apologize. I never intended to make you not comfortable or safe at CatCo.”

Lena shakes her head and puts her hand on top of Kara’s. She wanted to convey that Kara hadn’t overstepped. She wanted to dance with Kara. Their chemistry together had been unbelievable. 

“You didn’t overstep, Kara.” Lena says, looking at Kara straight in the eye. “I enjoyed our dance together very much. It was nice.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Lena lets go of Kara’s hand and puts it on her lap. She exhales. “You’re right, I have been off these past few days. But not for the reasons that you think.”

Kara furrows her eyebrows together and Lena curses the fact that she can manage to look so sad and adorable and confused at the same time. Which makes her next words difficult to say. 

“I quit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh snap. What will happen next?
> 
> come talk about supergirl with me on tumblr: salamimaleks


	4. Chapter Four

“I quit.”

 

Kara’s jaw slackens. Lena turns around and exits the office, heart pounding and full of momentum. She doesn’t look back.

 

Once she’s outside CatCo, Lena realizes that she has no plan going forward. She hadn’t gone into the office today with the intentions of quitting. It had just come out of her mouth without her realizing. She shakes her head. She needs a drink.

 

She goes into a bar that’s close to her apartment. She’s on friendly terms with the barman there. He isn’t the nosy type and leaves her alone which she appreciates. She’s all too used to being bombarded by people. She orders a drink. And then another one. And other one.

 

She’s feeling a pleasant buzz by the time the bar gets filled up with its usual weekend crowd. Lena figures it’s high time to get out of there.

 

She makes her way up to her penthouse. She gives a cordial nod to the doorman and once she’s in her apartment, she makes a dash for her cabinet where she stores her alcohol. Her hand wanders around blindly until she pulls out a bottle of tequila. Excellent.

 

Lena makes her way up to the roof, bottle securely in hand. She sits by the edge, her feet dangling below her. She unscrews the cap and takes a swig.

 

She doesn’t know how long she sits there. Her bottle progressively gets emptier and emptier and her brain becomes foggier and foggier. She just sits and watches the city lights. She likes being up on the roof. It’s peaceful and she’s never disturbed here. She watches traffic and hears the shouts of drunken people on the streets.

 

“You alright?” A soft voice says besides her.

 

Lena jumps slightly and looks over. It’s Supergirl. Or rather, Kara, she thinks to herself sardonically, taking another sip.

 

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on jumping,” she says. She’s amazed that her words come out so coherently.

 

“Rough day?” Supergirl asks, tentative. It’s a kind gesture but all Lena sees red.

 

“Oh cut the bullshit Kara,” she seethes. “You know damn well how my day was.” Lena stares at the buildings ahead, avoiding eye contact with her.

 

Supergirl is quiet for a few moments. “So you know.”

 

Lena nods. “You aren’t exactly subtle.”

 

Kara gives a low laugh. “That explains your behavior this week. I guess you figured it out during the gala?”

 

“Yep. But really, you disappear all the time during work. Your appetite is endless and you never gain a single pound. You had a government agent drive us there. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

 

Kara unexpectedly breaks into a grin and laughs. “You really are sharp. I knew I was right when I hired you.”

 

Lena is stunned. This isn’t at all how she expected Kara to react. “You...” She doesn’t know the proper words to form her thoughts and the alcohol in her body isn’t helping matters. “B-but,” she stammers. “I’m a Luthor. How could you...”

 

“Look at me, Lena.” Kara says. Lena bites her lip and complies. “My friends and Alex thought I was crazy for hiring you. ‘How could you hire a _Luthor_?’ they all said. ‘Don’t you know who her brother is?’ But they don’t work with you every day- I do. I believe that you’re a good person. They didn’t hear what you said during your interview. I mean,” Kara gestures to the ‘S’ on her chestplate. “The fact that you knew I’m Supergirl and didn’t tell anyone. You are not your brother, Lena. If you were, you would’ve done something already.”

 

Lena scoffs and shakes her head. “It’s astounding that you have more faith in me than I do.”

 

“Well maybe you should stop being so hard on yourself. Stop punishing yourself for what your brother has done. That isn’t your fault. Trust me, I know what it’s like to be defined by what your family has done.”

 

Lena furrows her brows and notices that her vision is becoming blurry. She’s now feeling the effects of the alcohol in her body.

 

“What d’you mean?” She manages.

 

Kara laughs softly and in an instant, she’s by Lena’s side and places her arms around Lena’s for support. “I’ll tell you some other time when you’re not drunk.”

 

Lena mumbles something about being fine but she doesn’t fight against Kara’s hold. Before she knows it, they’re in her room and Kara gently places her on her bed.  

 

Lena clutches Kara’s arm. “Don’t leave me,” she whispers.

 

Kara nods. “I won’t.” She places the blankets over Lena.

 

“Okay,” Lena says. Her eyes get heavier and heavier and soon, she’s asleep.

 

\--

 

When Lena wakes up, her head is pounding and the sunlight blinds her. She groans, regretting drinking so much the night before. She creaks open an eye and notices some foreign objects on her night stand.

 

Perplexed, she blinks a few times to clear her vision and leans over. It’s a glass of water with a container of Advil next to it. Underneath the water is a note.

 

The note reads:

 

Hi Lena,

 

Sorry I couldn’t stay but there was an emergency I had to take care of. Make sure you drink lots of water and use the Advil if you need it. Also, we should talk. Dinner?

Feel better!

       -K

 

Lena swallows some pills and washes them down with the water. Flashbacks of last night swirl around in her head but frankly she’s too hungover and exhausted to deal with them. She re-reads the note and decides she’ll deal with it later. Right now, all she wants is sleep.

 

When she wakes up again, it’s the afternoon. She sits up in her bed and stretches. Her head still has a dull ache but it’s barely noticeable anymore. She checks her phone and sees a few messages from various acquaintances but they’re nothing important.

 

She starts to craft a message to Kara. She bites her lip in concentration, trying to think of what to write.

Lena:

Hey Kara, thanks for the water and the note.

You’re right, we should talk.

When do you want to get dinner?

 

She cringes. Her text sounds so formal. Kara replies almost instantaneously.

 

Kara:

hey no problem! are you free tonight?

i know a great place we can eat at

 

Tonight? That was so soon. On the other hand, Lena doesn’t have any plans. Why not?

 

Lena:

Works with me

 

Kara forwards her the restaurant location. Lena furrows her brow. It’s a place called Noonan’s. She’s never heard of that place but their reviews are good online. Lena looks over at the clock and panics. She only has a few hours before dinner and she’s still in bed.

 

\--

 

Lena gets to Noonan’s early due to her nerves. She has no idea how tonight is going to go and that terrifies her. She looks around the place. It’s not her usual scene but it’s nice. There’s a casual and friendly atmosphere which she likes. She’s used to going to five star restaurants with impeccable customer service. Noonan’s is nothing like that.

 

“Lena!” She hears a familiar voice behind her and sees that it’s Kara waving. Huh, so she was early too. Perhaps Lena wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

 

Lena walks over to the table where Kara’s sitting and sits across from her.  

 

“Hi Kara,” Lena says.

 

“Hey! You find the place okay?”

 

Lena nods. “Yeah, plus I have GPS in my phone.”

 

Kara laughs awkwardly. “That’s right, I suppose that’s sort of a silly question these days.”

 

Lena gives a tight smile but doesn’t say anything. Already this dinner was so awkward. Lena is starting to regret this decision. Kara must sense this too since she’s quick to change subjects.

 

“Um, so before we talk about anything, I kinda need you to sign this.” She fumbles with a bag underneath the table and produces a sheet of paper. She pushes her glasses up her nose. “It’s a NDA. Sorry about this but Alex insisted on you signing this.”

 

Lena waves her off. “It’s not a problem really. I’ve signed plenty of NDAs. Do you have a pen I can borrow?”

 

Kara nods and rummages in her bag for one and hands it over to Lena. Lena accepts and looks over the document. It’s pretty standard as far as NDAs go. She signs it and gives it back to Kara.

 

Kara looks relieved. “Thanks! That’s right, I always forget that you probably have a lot of experience with this.”

 

Lena gives her a genuine smile and shakes her head. “You know, I’m glad that you forget.” Kara looks puzzled so Lena elaborates. “You treat me like a regular person. Most people walk on eggshells around me.”

 

Kara shrugs. “That’s their loss.”

 

Lena blushes slightly and hopes that Kara doesn’t notice. She realizes that they don’t have any menus in front of them and a waiter hasn’t stopped by.

 

“So,” Lena says, “What does one usually order here?”

 

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind but I went ahead and ordered for us. I got us burgers.”

 

“What, no potstickers today?”

 

Kara rolls her eyes but she smiles. “I figured you’d had enough of potstickers for a lifetime while you were my assistant.”  

 

“I mean, I enjoy them as much as the next person but you might have an obsession.”

 

Kara snorts. “Alex always threatens that I’m going to have to go into the equivalent of AA for them.”

 

“I can imagine that. Hi, my name is Kara Danvers and I’m addicted to potstickers.”

 

Kara lets out a loud laugh and claps her hands together. “Exactly!”

 

Kara’s laughter is infectious and Lena finds herself joining in as well. Amidst their laughter, the waiter came by and served the hamburgers. Lena’s eyes widen upon seeing the hamburgers which Kara notices.

 

“What?” Kara asks, concerned. “Do they not look good? Should we get something else?”

 

Lena shakes her head. “No way, these look amazing. And they’re huge!”  

 

Kara nods reverently. “Noonan’s is amazing. Everything they make is always great.”

 

“I can see why you come here,” Lena says. She struggles to pick up the hamburger without everything falling out. “I feel like you have to be like a Scooby Doo character and unhinge your jaw to eat this.”

 

Kara snorts. “Just eat your burger, silly. Here I’ll show you how it’s done.”

 

True to her word, Kara opens her mouth comically wide and takes a gigantic bite. Her cheeks are puffed out.

 

“‘ee?” Kara says, mouth full of food.

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

Lena copies Kara and takes a bite of her burger. It’s beyond delicious.

 

\--

 

“Was it good?” Kara asks.

 

Lena nods and gives a sigh of satisfaction. “Those burgers were amazing.”

 

Eating dinner with Kara had been quite the experience. One burger had been enough for Lena but Kara has consumed four burgers. It was mesmerizing to watch. She’d never seen someone with such an endless appetite.

 

“Oh,” Kara says, staring at Lena’s face intently. She leans across the table and Lena all of a sudden forgets how to breathe. Her nose is inches away from Kara’s. Kara’s thumb flicks against the corner of Lena’s mouth. “You had a little something.”

 

Kara leans back in her seat as if nothing unusual has occurred. Lena ducks her head.

 

“Thanks.” A thought occurs to her. “Actually, I have a question, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Yeah, go ahead!”

 

Lena pauses and leans forward on her elbows. “How can you eat so much?” She asks, incredulous.

 

Kara plays with her glasses. “My body uses up a lot of energy so I need to eat a lot in order to maintain it.”

 

“Huh,” Lena says. “That makes sense.”

 

“Actually...” Kara trails off and gives Lena a conspiratorial smile. “Are you up for ice cream?”

 

“You realize it’s the middle of winter?”

 

Kara pouts. “Oh right.”

 

Lena grins. “Of course we’re getting ice cream.”

 

\--

 

“Mmm,” Kara says while licking her ice cream.

 

“It’s good.”

 

“Right?!”

 

They’re sitting outside on a park bench. There’s snow on the ground but Lena feels oddly warm. Huh.

 

“Um, so.” Kara says. “I did want to talk to you. Um, I wanted to ask how you’re feeling.”

 

Kara licks her ice cream and waits for Lena’s response. Lena knew that this was going to come up eventually but she doesn’t quite know how to answer Kara’s question.

 

“I’m okay. I guess I don’t really know how to act or what to do.”

 

Kara nods. “It’s okay, I get it. You know, you’re welcome to come back to CatCo.”

 

“Thanks Kara, I appreciate that. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me but I think I want to do something else instead.”

 

“Yeah, definitely. Do you know what you want to do?”

 

Lena sighs, exasperated and throws her free hand up. “That’s the _thing_. I don’t know. I’m in my late twenties and I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”

 

Kara hums, pensive. “Well, what makes you happy?”

 

Lena chews on her lip. “I know that I want to make a difference. I want to be a force of good. Like Supergirl,” she gestures to Kara who blushes. “I just don’t know how.”

 

Kara’s silent for a few moments and polishes off the rest of her ice cream. She gasps.

 

“Lena, I have a brilliant idea,” she says in a low voice.

 

Lena furrows her eyebrows together.

 

“Okay?”

 

“What if you work for my sister in the DEO?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your great feedback so far! I gotta say, after the last chapter I felt like I was George RR Martin haha. It was hilarious. Let me know what you think! :D


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